Wednesday, June 13, 2018

June 13 #OnThisDay in #Australian #History

1810 - Today was a lucky day for explorer Matthew Flinders as he was finally released from prison on Mauritius...although his famous pusskin, Trim, wasn't quite so lucky....

1816 - Mrs Mac breathed a sigh of relief as the road to Mrs Macquarie's Chair was finished and she could go have some time to herself and get some embroidery done in peace and quiet...while helping plan the architecture of the colony, the new hospital, roads, pioneer hay making with John Macarthur's missus, have babies and....maybe do more than glance at the stunning view from her famous chair.

1827 - At Dairy Plains Meander River in Tassie 9 Aboriginal people were killed by armed stockmen.

1831 - The British built steamer, Sophia Jane, became the first steamship to operate in Australian waters, when it began choofing its Sydney to Newcastle service.

1835 - Batmania was suggested as a name for the proposed settlement which later became Melbourne.
The original name is Narrm.

1872 - The Royal Mint building in William St, Melbourne was officially opened by someone or other...hmph, it's just giving them a licence to print money...

1884 - Joseph Cordini was hanged at Deniliquin Gaol for the murder of George Mizon on the Hay road outside Deniliquin.

1887 - John Harrison was hanged at Brisbane Gaol for the murder of William Thompson.

1887 - Ellen Thompson was hanged at Brisbane Gaol for the murder of her husband William. She was the only woman hanged in Queensland.

1888 - Calabungamarra was hanged at Rottnest Island for the murder of a Chinese man, Indyco, at Hamersley Range.

1890 - Ballarat Bods got their happy groove on with the opening of the Fine Art Gallery building.

1893 - Passing more than the brekkie prunes today saw the NSW Government pass a law allowing settlement on Crown land.

1893 - Soon after the Kiama to Bomaderry Railway Line (NSW) opened a valuable horse was killed on the line at Gerringong.

1895 - Coal miner Robert Hales was walking home through the relatively short 80m Helensburgh Tunnel south of Sydney when a steam train appeared behind him.
He ran.
Not fast enough.

1910 - Alexander Joseph Bradshaw was hanged at Boggo Road Gaol for the murder of George and Alice Sutherland at Carron River, near Croydon.

1916 - The Cudgewa Railway Line (Vic) was extended when the Tallangatta to Shelley section was opened.

1923 - That black, salty spread made from the left-overs of beer brewing that we slather on our sangas, Vegemite, waltzed into legend on this day.

1924 - The Victorian railway extension from Annuello to Robinvale (formerly Bumbang) was officially opened. A special train from Bendigo carried on board many dignitaries. The Minister for Railways, Mr Eggleston, performed the opening ceremony. Mrs Margaret Anne Cuttle cut the blue ribbon. The original Euston-Robinvale Bridge was also constructed taking over the role of the punt.

1927 - Slim Dusty, Aussie Country singer, was pupped.

1928 - The Hebburn Railway Branch Line (NSW) was gaily thrown open from Elrington Junction to Elrington Colliery.

1932 - John Thomas Smith (Snowy Rowles) was hanged at Fremantle Prison for the murder of Louis George Carron near the 183 mile gate on the No. 1 Rabbit-proof fence, near Youanmi.

1933 – The Australian Antarctic Territory was established.

1935 - A shark disgorged a tattooed arm off Coogee, Sydney, sparking a murder investigation. The main eyewitness who could name the suspect was found done in by several bullets on the eve of the court case.

1938 - Tragedy at the Penrith Speedway when a woman and her two grand children died and 10 onlookers were injured after a car lost control and skidded into the spectators.

1939 - The Victorian Railway Department announced that their ghost train would soon run through dimly-lit stations, while planes overhead would try to spot it. The train was been fitted with dimmed lights to enable night trips to be made safely in the event of an enemy attack on Melbourne. The first trial was successful, but the authorities were anxious to know whether the train could be seen from the air.

1942 - Those loathed ration books were flung to every person, making all goods and services rationed along with the pounds, shillings and pence; which meant that you probably couldn't afford it in the first place but now they were making damn sure you couldn't get it even if you did manage to scrape the pennies together.
Just like today!

1956 - Eddie McGuire should be popping a champers cork as today saw Broadmeadows loudly proclaimed a City! Of course, it didn't have anything to do with those Olympics that were happening just down the road, now would it...?

1961 - Tulloch wons the Brisbane Cup
Tulloch was brought to Brisbane as a six year-old for the Brisbane Cup at Eagle Farm, his final race start. There were more than 33,000 there to watch.

1964 - The Beatles performed two more shows at Centennial Hall, Adelaide. The two shows on this day were drummer Jimmy Nicol's last as a "temporary Beatle".

1973 - The Victorian government ordered that all children's nightwear be labelled with flammability ratings after six-year-old died when her dressing gown caught fire.

1984 - Federal Parliament passed the Public Service Reform Act which contained protection for homosexuals in Federal employment.

1990 - Prime Minister Bob Hawke reneged on his promise to relax immigration policy to allow 20,000 Chinese students to become Australian residents.

1991 - A man who's name has become synonymous with bolting, Christopher Skase, was declared bankrupt with personal debts alone reaching the $170 million dollar mark.

2005 - Australia handed East Timor the base at Moleana, a tiny town near the border with Indonesia, signaling the end of a six-year mission that heralded a controversial new era of regional intervention in East Timor.

2006 - PM John Howard's federal government invoked special powers to invalidate a territory's law that had been the first in Australia giving legal recognition to same-sex relationships. On May 11 the Australian Capital Territory, which includes the national capital Canberra, became the first of Australia's six states and two territories to legally recognize gay and lesbian relationships.

2008 - The leaders of Australia and Indonesia pledged to join forces to fight climate change by saving forests and promoting carbon trading.

2017 - At the start of the evening commute every single train in Melbourne stopped in its tracks due to a “computer fault”.